Hammock-support.



9 9 8 00., 0 U A d e n e f a P W. F. PARMELEE.

HAMMOCK SUPPORT.

(Application filed July 13, 1898. Renewed June 14, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

Wei afar lwi liufjfarmelaz 7 W zlii necting the cross-bar to the brace-rods which UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILBUR r. PARMELEE, on MlDDLETOWN, CONNECTICUT.

HAMMOCK-SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 630,7 35, dated August 8, 1899. Application filed my 13, 1898. Renewed .Tune 14, 1899. Serial No. 720654;. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILBUR F. PARMELEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Middletown, in the county of Middlesex and State of Connecticut, have invented new and useful Improvements in Hammock-Supports, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of hammock-supports made in a plurality of parts so jointed or connected that they may be' opened to provide an extended frame and when not in use be readily folded for transportation or storage and caused to occupy but little space.

It is one purpose of my invention to provide a hammock frame and support ofthis character having a novel, simple, and inexpensive connection between the cross-bar and the legs whereby each of the latter shall'not only be capable of folding into parallelism with the other and with the cross-bar, but shall also have a complete independent universal adjustment, so that each leg can be placed at any required angle with the crossbar when the hammock is in use and folded in a moment and with perfect ease close beside and parallel with said cross-bar for transportation, storage, or other purposes.

It is a further purpose of my invention to provide novel and improved means for consupport or aid in maintaining the legs in position, whereby efficient and satisfactory brace connections are provided by a lighter,-

simpler, and lessexpensive construction than has heretofore been used, said braces beingv adapted to give the required support to the legs when the latter are placed at any required angle and when disconnected to fold by a single movement into parallelism with the other parts.

My invention also comprises the provision of means for stiffening or staying the jointed central portion of the cross-bar in such ma n ner that itshall have practically the strength and rigidity of .a solid or continuous piece without perceptibly increasing the weight or dimensions of said cross-bar, the stay being adapted toturn upon one of the folding sections of the cross-barupon one side of the hinge-joint, where-it will lie throughout its bar.

length without sensibly increasing either the bulk or weight of the folded structure.

The invention consists, to these ends, in the several novel features of construction and new combinations of parts hereinafter fully de scribed and then particularly pointed out and defined in the claims at the close of this specification.

For the purpose of the following description reference will be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective View of a hammock-support in which my invention is incorporated, the frame being extended and set up, but the hammock being omitted. Fig. 2 isa view of the same when folded, looking toward the side of the frame. Fig. 3 is a similar view looking toward the top of the crossbar in Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is an end elevation of the parts shown in Figs. 3 and 4, looking to= ward, the. jointed center of the cross bar. Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the cross-bar, taken through the point of attachment of the leg-supports, the legs being shown ext-ended, but broken away a short distance below the cross-bar. Fig. 6 is a perspective View of one of the leg-supports removed from the cross bar. Fig. 7 is a transverse section of the cross-bar, taken through the point of connection of the inclined braces. Fig; 8 is a perspective view of one of the connections for the inclined braces removed from the crossbar. Fig. 9 is a plan view of the centraljointed portion of the cross-bar to show the construction and means for detaching the hinge -when the structure is to be folded.

The reference-numeral 1 in said drawings indicates the cross-bar of ahammock-support, to which the folding legs are connected.

I This cross-bar, which is of any suitable length,

is divided at or about its central point, and

thetwo parts are united by a hinge 2, placed upon the upper face of the cross-bar, so that the joint opens or breaks upon the under side. The lateral portions of the hinge, consisting of two parallel plates 3, lie against the opposite sides of the bar or of the sections of the latter and are fastened thereto by screws. These plates are connected by a webe, which rests on the upper face of onesecti'on of the The plates are provided with lugs 5,

rising above the surface and having apertures which receive the pintle or pivot-bar 6, which lies in a horizontal plane passing between the abutting ends of the two sections of the cross-bar. Upon the upper face of the section having its end lying between the unconnected portions of the plates 3 is a plate 7, provided with lugs 8, which rise close to the inner faces of the lugs 5. The plate 7 is firmly secured to the part of the bar on which it lies by screws, bolts, or other fastenings,

and the pintle 6, lying in apertures in the lugs 5, passes through similar apertures in the lugs 8. \Vhen the cross-bar is folded, therefore, the upper faces of the two sections lie adjacent one to the other, as seen in Fig. 2, the unconnected portions of the lateral plates 3 projecting beyond the end carrying the portions connected by the web 4. The bolt 10, which passes through openings in the ends of the plates 3 and through the end of the cross-bar, is removed when the structure is folded and replaced when the parts are extended, as in Fig. 1.

To impart a strength and rigidity to the jointed cross-bar as great and even greater than it would possess if made in a single piece, I attach upon the lower face a stay or stiffening-bar 12, consisting of a stout strip of wood of substantially the same width as the crossbar and of such thickness as to give it the necessary strength. It extends some distance upon each side of the joint, and near each end it is attached by bolts 13, having nuts It turned upon their ends beneath the stay. In folding the cross-bar one of these nuts is removed, whereby the end of the stay slips easily off the end of the bolt as the parts turn on the hinge-pintle. The stay 12 is then swung around upon the other bolt 13 as a pivot into the position shown in Fig. 2. If necessary, it may be securely held in this position by merely turning up the nut Ll until it exerts sufiicient pressure upon the end of the stay to clamp it tightly against the section of the cross-bar on which it lies.

The legs consist, as is usual in these structures, of divergent bars 15, connected to the sections of the cross-bar at a suitable distance from the ends. The connection for the end of each leg consists of a bracket-plate 16, having two parallel lugs 17, which extend from the sides of the plate 16. These lugs lie in planes which make a right angle with the bracket-plate; but their edges are at an angle of more than ninety degrees, so that a pivot-pin 18, inserted in openings 19, Fig. 6, in the ends of said lugs, will lie in or very nearly in a plane which touches the end of the plate 16 and lies transversely at a right angle thereto. The end of the leg 15 is inserted in the space between the lugs 17, its angles having been rounded, as shown in Fig. 5, and the pivot-pin 18 is passed through it. The bracket-plate is placed against the lateral face of the cross-bar at the proper point of connection for the legs, with thelugs 17 inclining upward and outward, so that the pivotal axis is somewhat above the upper face of the cross-bar, as shown in Fig. 5. The bracket-plate 16 is connected to the cross-bar by a single pivot-bolt 20, which passes through an aperture 21, Fig. 6, and entirely through the cross-bar to connect a duplicate bracketplate upon the other side of the cross-bar. Thus a single pivot-bolt provides a connection for both the legs, but leaves each of the latter entirely independent in every respect. As the connection bolt or pivot 20 lies at a right angle to the pivot-pins 18, it will readily be understood that by the construction described each leg has practically a universal joint at the point of connection and is capable of being adjusted at any angle or to any position relatively to the cross-barwithoutin any manner affecting the adjustment of the other leg. The two legs are connected at a suitable point by a brace 22 of any preferred form. They are also provided with independent braees 23, connected to the cross-bar at one end and to the legs at a point notvery far from the middle. The pivotal connections for these braces are shown in detail in Figs. 7 and 8, and in Figs. 1, 3, and 4 the manner of attachment to the cross-bar is illustrated. The connection consists ofa bracketplate 21. (Shown in detail and upon asomewhat larger scale in Fig. 8.) The plate 24- is of such dimension as to extend from side to side of the cross-bar 1, and at its ends it has lugs 25, which incline downwardly and outwardly at a suitable angle. These lugs are formed with triangular side supports 26, which hang against the opposite sides of the cross-bar and aid in sustaining strains which would tend to force said lugs toward the bar. A single belt or rivet 27 provides asuflicient fastening for the bracket-plate 2%, since the supporting side pieces 26 effectually prevent any displacement due to a tendency to turn upon the attaching belt or rivet.

The braces 23 are attached to the enter inclined faces of the lugs 25 by pivot-pins 28, bolts or rivets being suitable for this purpose. The braces are connected to the outer faces or edges of the legs by bolts, preferably such as those shown at 29 in Fig. 3, having nuts 30 upon their inner ends, which project from the inner faces of the legs. By Fig. 4 of the drawings it will be seen that when the legs are folded into parallelism with the cross-bar the braces 23 can, by simply turning them upon their pivot-pins 27, be brought into the same relation with the latter, their disconnected ends, which extend somewhat beyond the point of attachment of the legs, being brought against or close to the ends of the braces at the other end of the cross-bar 1 and between the two folded legs, on each side of the latter.

By the construction of the parts in the manner described I not only obtain the advantages already referred to, but I avoid weakening the cross-bar by additional openings for bolts or rivets and am able to preserve nearly the full strength by reason of the fact that each pair of the bracket-plates supporting the pivots for the legs are not only secured by a single rivet or bolt common to both, but as they have a broad area of bearing-surface on the sides of the cross-bar the whole strain comes upon the very short portions of the rivets that project, and the body part of said rivets can be of small size. The same remarks apply in part to the supports for the braces.

By my invention I provide an extremely simple hammock-support which can be manu factured at low cost, which is easily and quickly folded and unfolded, having a light weight, but of ample strength in every part, and capable of folding into a small, compact, and symmetrical bulk.

It will be obviousthat an awning may be attached to the support to protect the occupant of the hammock, and I contemplate attaching, preferably, the awning heretofore patented by me, though any suitable awning may be used. The frame is also adapted to support a tent, the canvas of which is thrown over the support and attached to the ground in any usual way.

By mounting the braces 23 upon inclined lugs in the manner described the ends of said braces will lie fiat against the inclined surfaces of the legs when the latter are spread. This enables me to use plain bars for said braces of rectangular form in cross-section throughout their length.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. In a hammock-support a cross-bar, lugs pivotally connected to opposite sides of said cross-bar, legs having their upper ends lying between said lugs through which the pivots are passed, braces to hold said legs when spread, and laterally-projecting, inclined lugs upon which the ends of the braces are pivoted, whereby when engaged with the legs the other ends of said braces will lie flat upon the inclined faces of the legs, substantially as described.

2. A hammock-support comprising a crossbar, legs pivoted on opposite sides of the same at a suitable distance from the ends of said cross-bar the pivotal supports consisting of lugs which are themselves pivoted to the crossbar, so that the legs may be turned parallel with the cross-bar and folded, or transverse thereto andspread apart laterally-projecting inclined lugs arranged on opposite sides of the bar near the ends of the latter, and braces pivoted at one end upon the inclined faces of said lugs whereby their other ends will lie flat upon the inclined faces of the legs when the latter are spread, and when disengaged from the legs will fold into parallelism therewith and with the cross-bar, substantially as described.

3. In a hammock-support the combination with a cross-bar, of legs adapted to be spread on opposite sides of said bar, plates lying upon and secured to said bar, laterally-projecting downwardly inclined lugs forming part of said plates, and braces for the legs pivotally mounted at one end upon said lugs, substantially as described.

4. In a hammock-support the combination with a cross-bar of legs pivotally connected thereto and adapted to be spread to support said bar, braces for said legs having their ends attachable to and detachable from the legs, and supports for said braces consisting of plates lying upon and secured to the crossbar, each plate having lugs projecting laterallyonopposite sides'of the bar and inclined, so that the ends of the braces, may lie fiat upon the inclined faces of the lugs, said lugs having side supports which rest against the sides of the cross-bar, substantially as described.

5. In a hammock-support, the combination with a cross-bar of pivotally-connected legs, braces for said legs, a support for each pair of braces, said support consisting of a plate lying upon the cross-bar and provided with laterally projecting, downwardlyinclined lugs upon which the ends of said braces are pivoted, said lugs having triangular side supports which are turned at right angles to said lugs to lie against the sides of the cross-bar, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit nesses.

WILBUR F. PARMELEE.

Witnesses:

GEORGE I. ALLEN, ALEXANDER J. INGLIS. 

